Growing Up
by SizzlR
Summary: Leni is ready to be an adult... or so she thinks. It won't be easy for a girl who's been coddled all her life to be alone.. but when a new boy moves onto the block, they may just teach each other a lesson about what life has to offer...
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story about being a teenager. Specifically, a high school junior. We've pretty much all been there; you feel like the world is against you and you try to rebel, to no avail. Why better to express this than the usually gentle Leni Loud? It's a bold concept, but I think it will resonate with you guys. Tell me what you think, and if I should update this in the future. Now, onto the story…**

Royal Woods, Michigan wasn't exactly known for its large population. Sure, they had a decent amount of people, at least 20,000 or so… still it dwarfed in comparison to, say, Detroit or Chicago. No, most people didn't even realize this town existed unless you lived there. For the most part, Royal Woods was a quiet town. And no one really, for the most part, actually cared. It was a useless statistic, after all; no one had any need to monitor who lived where. Unless you were a spy. Then it may be important.

Unfortunately for a lot of people, the town wasn't always quiet. You know how they say one bad apple can spoil the bunch? That was the case at the Loud household.

It was no different than any other house on the street: white walls, blue roof, mailbox, front door, no different than anyone elses. Still, people tended to stay away at all costs. Any house nicknamed "the Loud House" was NOT to be messed around with...and no, it wasn't called that because of the surname. That was coincidence. See, the people that owned that house? They had eleven kids.

ELEVEN.

KIDS.

Wow. And some people thought that ONE was enough chaos… and all on top of the sheer coincidence that TEN of them were GIRLS. Yikes!

It isn't exactly an ideal situation, even for neighbors. No, ESPECIALLY for neighbors. Maybe that was why the house a block behind them was currently being moved into only five months after being put on the market. SOMEONE wanted to get out of there… and quick.

The small red house at 54 Savino Street was currently in the process of being furnished when the new occupants finally pulled up into the driveway in a beat up Ford pickup.

Two people stepped out of the car, each holding a small box with personal belongings in them.

"-sigh- Well, here we are…" the man said, gazing at the house. He was on the older side, gray hair jetting out of his black hair and bears.

"Yep. Royal Woods…" his wife said, putting her box on the passenger seat. She was a short and stout woman, only standing to about her husbands chest. Her hair was neatly tied in a bun in the back of her head, and she wore a small bracelet on her arm.

"Gee, it sure is different than Whitehorse, isn't it, I.K… I.K?"

The man turned his head, only to find his son still in the back seat. He sighed, walking over to the door and rapping his knuckle on the window.

Ikiaq Sulak sat up, startled by the noise. He was too engorged in his music to pay attention to the road… time DID fly on the move.

He got out of the seat, where he was almost instantly confronted by the short lady he called his mother.

"I.K, you know we don't like you on that phone so much…"

"I know, I know…" he mumbled, pulling his hoodie over his face as he walked away. "Long car ride, you know? I had to have SOMETHING to keep me busy..."

"Uhh, yeah, like a book?" she asked, moving at a remarkable speed for her short stature. "Maybe like the one I bought you?"

"-sigh- Mom, there is NO WAY I was reading that thing! It was like, a hundred pages!"

"I, that 'book' is the U.S Constitution! Do you WANT to be uninformed about America?!"

"Well, no, but-"

"-sigh- look, it doesn't matter right now, we GOTTA get settled. SULAK FAMILY, MOBILIZE!"

"Dad…" the teenager groaned, but his father was already barreling towards the front door of the house, arm raised as if charging into a Civil War battle. Even better, one of the neighbors had been peering out the window the whole time. Just great… laughingstock of the neighborhood and they hadn't even been there for three minutes…

I.K Sulak was a typical sixteen year old kid.l, by all accounts. He was on his phone almost 24/7, he played basketball with his friends, liked to play ice hockey in the winter… really, the only thing that stood out about him was that he was from WAY up north in Canada. The Yukon, to be exact. You know, Polar Bear Country?

He was a tall dude, and he had long, wispy black hair that hung down to his shoulders. He wore a black hoodie and a pair of jeans, which was already causing him to sweat in the balmy late summer heat. He hurriedly took the hoodie off, casually tossing it to the ground.

"Is this how it ALWAYS is down here?" he wondered as he sat down on the tailgate of his family truck. "THIS warm? And this… dry?"

He already didn't like it here. Not one bit. In fact, he hadn't even WANTED to move out of Canada. Hell, he didn't even KNOW he was moving until two weeks ago! His Mom had tried to get him insterested, talking about a "business opportunity" and an "quieter school" and what not…

Rubbish! He didn't care about that sort of stuff! Here they were, a group of ESKIMOS living in the middle of Michigan! It was like… like a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court!

(...Yes, his mother made him read classic literature. It wasn't fun, but most of them were easy reads… especially Twain.)

Either way, it didn't make sense. Why leave behind a well paying job to… to CHANGE everything? All of his friends were in Canada, thousands of miles away! What was he supposed to do here, actually LEARN?

"Hey, I.K? You want to go watch the football game tonight?"

His train of thought derailed as his dad tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to him, trying to look as sad and miserable as possible.

"Football?"

"Yeah, football! Well, AMERICAN football, but still! I figured you should get the chance to meet people before you start junior year… and you DO like hockey, don't you?"

"Dad, you already know the answer to the question…"

"Come on, I.K, take a joke! I heard this place has a town hockey team! Exciting, right?"

"Yeah, definitely…" he muttered. Even though school had already started a week ago, I.K was in NO mood to make friends at that point. He would be the outsider no matter WHAT he did...

His dad had noticed the small change in his sons demeanor. He walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, buddy, I know you aren't as excited as your mother is about this…"

"You can say THAT again…"

"Yeah, I can, can't I? Buck up, buddy! We're gonna do fine here! We got that Inuit spirit in us, you know?"

I.K. smiled at that one. He took pride in the fact that he was an Inuit; or, as a lot of people put it, "Eskimo." Frm where he came from, people threw each around plenty of times, so it didn't really bother him to be called either. Both his parents had one eskimo parent, which left him with nothing but the slightly slanted eyes and long hair. A reasonable compromise, he supposed...

"Yeah… I guess I'll go with you, if you want."

"Sweet!" his Dad practically yelled, patting him on the back. "We'll unpack and go right after, got it?"

I.K had no time to reply before his Dad disappeared through the front door, probably off to tell his mom the great news...

I.K. smirked. He didn't really like it here yet, but hey, it WAS kind of an improvement in ways! Bigger house, a yard, and a town hockey team… not bad, Royal Woods, not bad at all.

"Maybe this WON'T BE so terrible..." he said, picking up his box and carrying it inside. There was still some house warming to do, but it could wait; this guy had a football game to get to.

 **1216 Franklin Avenue...**

"But MOM!" the teenage girl said as she stomped her feet on the kitchen floor. "Why CAN'T I go?!"

"Leni, we have been over this FOUR times now. I don't want you going off and-

"But I'm sixteen! I'm like, totes sure I can take care of myself!"

"And I'm sure you can too, honey, but-"

"It's ONE football game! It's only one and I haven't been to ANY of them this year! I NEED to go!"

"-sigh- Leni, sweetheart, WHY is it so important that you go? You don't even LIKE football! What would you do with yourself there?"

"Well… I don't know, but I would find something!"

Rita Loud sighed, trying to end the argument as quickly as possible. It was a rare occurrence for her second oldest daughter to raise her voice about ANYTHING, but for some reason she felt the need to let it all out right then and there. As if the laundry didn't need to get washed downstairs...

"My friends are going! Like, ALL of them! You CAN'T say no!"

"Leni, I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea," she said, folding up the dried clothes. "You know how it gets with you in big crowds and what not. Remember the fair when you were 12 and you cried when you couldn't find me?"

"Lori is going, though! And so are Luna and Luan!"

Rita paused. Now that she thought about it… yes, Lori HAD said something earlier that day about it. She had said that Luna and Luan were riding along, but…

"Are you sure they'll let you ride with them?"

"Uhh, duh! They're, like, my sisters! Why WOULDN'T they want to take me?"

Rita sighed, standing up and putting her arms on both her daughters shoulders.

"Honey… are you SURE you want to go?"

"Mom, I TOTES got this! I'm pretty sure I can hang out with my friends for a few hours without getting lost!"

"-sigh- Well… ok, I guess, but-"

"OH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" She squealed, startling her with a hug. She let go, and bouncing with excitement, ran up the stairs to tell her sister the 'good' news.

"Oh, this should be interesting…" she though to herself as she went back to loading the washer. Leni was a responsible enough girl, but she tended to be a bit… DITZY from time to time…

OK, a LOT more than time to time. It wouldn't have been too unreasonable if she and her husband wanted her to take an IQ test… see if she actually, well, knew enough to be on her own. But they hadn't done that. She knew what her daughter was capable of! And if they listened to any of those parenting magazines she had been receiving in the mail since Lori was born, she would have NO problem getting her ready for college. Her future was bright, thanks to her and Lynns efforts!

But the present was, of course, the present. Nothing could be done about the football game, but some extra studying that weekend could make up for it. It seemed fair enough. Fun at one time, work on the other end.

"You're doing fine, Rita!" she said to herself as she walked down to the basement. "Leni is a perfectly fine lady! She does well in… well, doesn't do BAD in school. And she's good at fashion stuff, too! I say we did-"

" _-pretty bad, I.Y.A.M!"_

Leni sat on her bed, texting a friend from school. Her mom and dad may be hard to deal with at times, but having a phone really helped keep her busy.

" _Uhh, what does that mean Leni?"_

" _Umm, if you ask me! Lol, isn't it obvious?"_

" _No, it isn't, lol. Don't you think that they try their best to help you with college and stuff?"_

" _lol, no! I like totally know what to do! They don't need to hold my hand!"_

" _Well MY parents are helping me with that stuff. Why don't you want their help?_

There was no answer to that. Leni knew her friend had won, and instead of arguing back, she plopped her phone down and laid face up on the bed.

Leni KNEW that she wasn't smart. Well, she SORTA knew. She realized early on in her life that her parents gave Or that she had spent well over a month teaching her how to ride a bike… it was the minor things like that, small details other people wouldn't notice… besides her.

But one would THINK that as you got older, you would be able to get a little more indepen… indeci… _**In, de, pen, dance.**_ Independence!

Not for Leni. She wasn't allowed to go out unless it was with them, Lori or someone her parents knew. Her phone had a parental lock applied to do certain things on it, which was odd considering Lori could drain half the families plan in 5 minutes. And since she was a little kid, she had to go see a special teacher every month or so to help her out with stuff… it was little stuff, but that didn't stop her from wondering.

Now that she came to think of it… Leni really couldn't REMEMBER a time she was alone. Well, besides that one April Fools Day… but other than that, she had been under almost CONSTANT supervision. And that was what really frustrated her. After all, she WAS sixteen. That's like, practically an adult, right? She could take care of herself just fine! WITHOUT help.

She stood up, grabbing her phone. Lori would definitely be taking her now; she had texted her and (somewhat reluckyta… resuck… re- you know what, forget it) agreed to drive her.

Tonight, the NEW Leni would debut. The more mature, older, and responsible version!

Or at least she hoped. She definitely hoped...


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, since people have raised the issue, yes, I wrote this and published it before. I deleted it because I felt it was too emotionally driven by my own life, so I'm making edits and publishing it again. I have not stolen this, and I would NEVER steal anyone else's work. That said, back to the story.**

"Welcome, everyone, to the first game of the 2017 season between the Hazeltucky Hockers and YOUR Royal Woods High School Squirrels! I'm here with my partner, Pep-"

"-sigh- Unfortunately…"

"And tonight we are going to have a good time cheering for our hometown team! Everyone in Royal Woods,let's give it up for the SQUIRRELS!"

The crowd roared its approval as the team rushed onto the field like a stampeding herd of bulls. The Hockers took the field as well, to much milder hooplah. A quick rendition of the national anthem, and the game was off and running.

"Hmm…" I.K thought to himself. He didn't know much about American Football, but SOMETHING told him it was best to root for the Squirrels… after all, there WAS A bunch of people behind him wearing R.W.H.S hoodies and hats. I.K wasn't an idiot; he was in front of their fan section. And he'd seen enough hockey games on TV to know fans could get WILD.

"Damn, these people don't shut up, do they?" his dad leaned over and asked. He was now wearing a maroon and yellow hat with a cartoonish squirrel emblazoned onto it. They had stopped by the souvenir stand before the game, and I.K had gotten the pretty decent maroon hoodie he now wore for fifteen dollars. Talk about a steal…

"Yeah, really…" he mumbled, not paying much attention to his dad. The Hockers had taken the ball down to the other side of the field, and they were lining up to go for a point or two… or was it three? He didn't know. Football wasn't his sport. To be honest, he barely understood HOCKEY lingo. If someone told him his team had a power play, he would have stared blankly at them and smiled, hoping they'd go away…

Speaking of going away, I.K really needed to stand up. The crowd behind him was giving him a headache.

"Hey, Dad, I'm gonna go to the bathroom, OK?"

"Seriously? And miss the touchdown?" his dad asked, not looking at his son. He was engrossed in the game; unlike I.K, he actually knew what was going on.

"Yeah, I mean, I REALLY gotta go… the game is cool and all, but…"

"-sigh- Alright… just be back by halftime…"

Before his dad could change his mind, he stood up and began to walk towards the concession stand, passing by the throng of Squirrels fans. He pulled up his hoodie in a vain attempt to drown the sound, which didn't work at all.

To be honest, I.K really didn't like this game. It looked… STUPID, to be honest. What was the point? There was hitting, which was always fun, but that looked about it… how did people even-

 **THUD!**

He was too engrossed in his own thoughts to even realize he'd bumped someone over until he heard the yelling.

"Hey, buddy, watch where you're going!"

He turned around, pulling his hoodie back. A girl about his age was walking over to him, wearing a light blue sweater and a pair of jeans.

"You knocked my sister over! And you didn't even say sorry!"

"What?" he asked, looking over the girls shoulders. Another girl was helping the sister up. She had brown hair worn up in a ponytail, and she wore a yellow hoodie and jeans.

"Oh, uhh… sorry, I guess…" he said and turned, but the girl wasn't about to let him go that easily. She grabbed his shoulder before he could weasel out into the crowd.

"Well, don't apologize to ME! Apologize to her!"

"Well, uh, I actually kinda have to-"

He stopped talking when the girl spun him around, grabbed him by his shirt collar, and pulled him down to be level with her.

"Listen, buddy, if YOU don't say sorry to MY sister, then I will LITERALLY turn you into a HUMAN PRETZEL!"

"Woah, woah, woah, OK, OK!" he shouted, trying to cover his face with his hands. "Whatever you want! Just, PLEASE don't hurt me!"

The girl immediately lightened up as he pleaded with her. With a smirk, she let him go, causing him to take a step back in both fear and awe.

"Good. Now go over and apologize. Her name is Luan, by the way."

He forced himself to meekly walk over to Luan, who was still dusting herself off, and the other girl.

"Hey, uhh, sorry for running into you…" he said, not making eye contact. "I guess...

"Oh, no problem!" she said, smiling. "Have we met before? Because I think I'm FALLING for you! Ha ha ha! Get it?"

He felt his cheeks flush as the girl laughed. Was she… making fun of him? He stuttered, trying to make a witty comeback on the spot.

"Well, I mean, I didn't, well, do it on purpose, you know? I just, uhh, kinda wasn't paying-"

"Dude, chill. She always does this to people," the other girl said. She was wearing a purple jacket and a plaid skirt, an odd choice considering the weather.

"Seriously?" he asked, looking back over to the girl, who was still laughing. "Do you know her?"

"Know her?" she said, smiling. "Of course I know her, dude! I'm her sister!"

"Huh?" he said out loud, looking back to where the blond girl was. "Then, who was…"

"Sister. Our OTHER sister. We have a few of them."

"You two don't seem to be like her… I mean, at ALL…"

"Oh yeah, she can get a bit heated sometimes," Luan said, recovering from her laughing fit. "Did she use the human pretzel bit?"

"Yeah… uhh, does she do that a lot to you?"

"Oh, yeah…" Luna muttered, rubbing her shoulder. "She never follows through, though, thank God…"

"Never underestimate the top golfer on Varsity Golf!"

I.K couldn't help but laugh along with the girl. Feeling a lot better about the situation, he gave his name.

"My name is I.K. You can call me I, though. Or K. Or, you know, whatever you want to…"

"Sick, dude… I'm Luna. That's Luan. And I know you already met Lori, from the looks of it..."

"What about me?" the girl asked, carrying four cans of Coke. She gave one to each of her sisters, holding on to the last one. She narrowed her eyes at I.K as soon as she saw him.

"What does HE want?"

"Lori, this is I.K. I think you two already met, though…"

"Uh, yeah! He literally ran into Luan!"

"Uhh, yeah? I saw the whole thing. He apologized."

"Well…" she stuttered. "Well, good. He should have as soon as he knocked her over."

She tossed the can to I.K, who reached out and grabbed it in the nick of time.

"Thanks!"

"No problem. It WAS for my sister, but i forgot she doesnt like… uhh, guys…"

"Oh, no…" Luan said, trading her smile for a dead serious frown. "Did we seriously lose Leni again?!"

"Well, don't just stand there, LOOK FOR HER!" Lori sort of shouted to the girls. The three sisters split up in different ways, leaving I.K behind in the dust.

"Well, THAT was weird…" he thought, walking towards the bathroom. Unfortunately, he only managed to turn around before running into someone head on.

"Ow!" he yelped, stumbling back. The person he'd run into, a girl, regained her footing and walked - err, RAN over to him.

"O. ! I am SO sorry! Are you alright?"

"Huh?" he asked, looking up. "Yeah, I'm…"

I.K. couldn't say more. The girl he had just run into… she was STUNNING. Perfect blonde hair that was capped by a pair of sunglasses, perfect nose, eyes, and a nice voice to match...

"You're what? -gasp- OH MY GOSH! YOU'RE HURT!"

"What?" he asked as she began to panic. "No, I'm not-"

"Hold still!" she said, reaching into the pocket of her shirt. She pulled out a band-aid and placed it flat above his nose, right between his eyes.

"There! Now you're all better!"

The look on face was equivalent to that of seeing a pig fly over the stadium… wearing roller skates… waving the Canadien flag out of its nose.

"Uhhhh…" he groaned, not exactly sure what to say. "WHAT was that?"

"Well, I gave you a boo boo, didn't I? So I put a band-aid on it! Now it won't hurt!"

"But… but I wasn't hurt. You just..."

"Oh! Did I scare you? I do that all the time! Sorry!"

"Oh, no, you're fine…" he said, rubbing his head. "You just came out of nowhere. I, uhh, didn't expect to run into anyone else."

"Well, you ran into me, though! It's nice to meet you… uhh…"

"Oh! It's, uh, Iquiak. But you can call me-"

"Sticky Tack?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion. "What kind of name is THAT?"

"-pfft- Don't ask me… It's, well, it means something in Inuit, I think…"

He ran out of words to say. The two stood in silence for a moment before the girl spoke again.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sticky Tack! I'm Leni!"

"Uhhm.. first off, you can just call me I.K, got it? And second, you said your name was Leni?"

"Yep! Leni Loud! And I think I like your SECOND name even more than the thurd! Wait, no, first!"

"Really?" He asked, eyebrows raised. "You don't think Iquiak is 'cute' or 'endearing?'"

"... Uhh, what does 'End Deering' mean?"

"What? No, no, no, not 'End Deering,' endearing!"

"What's the difference?"

"Seriously? You don't know what endearing means?"

"Well…" she began to say, trying to put on a sad face. "I'm not really that smart, so… maybe that's why I don't understand."

"Huh... you seem pretty smart to me…" he mumbled, but (unfortunately) she heard.

"You think I look smart?!" she asked with glee, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him with happiness

"Y-Y-Yeah, yeah, definitely!" he said as he was shook around like a ragdoll. "Well, I-I mean, you look-"

"LENI!" A harsh voice rose above the crowd. I.K looked over to see none other than Lori walking towards them, her sisters in tow.

"Oh, h-hey, Lori! Is this your-"

He was pulled off and shoved out of the way before he could finish. Lori stood over Leni, like an hungry lion on a rock over a gazelle.

"Where were you?! We LITERALLY spent TEN MINUTES looking for you!"

Leni looked absolutely terrified.

"I-I went to go look at-"

"I had to call Mom and Dad, Leni!" she complained, exasperated. "They want us to go home now!"

"I'm, I'm sorry…" she tried saying, but Lori either ignored her or refused to accept it.

"You're going to go to the car and STAY THERE with Luna and Luan! Got it?!"

"Y-Yes…" she said meekly, tears beginning to well up. She suddenly stood up and began to run, sending Luna and Luan after her.

Lori shook her head and turned to I.K, who looked dumbstruck at what he just witnessed.

"Sorry you has to see that, I.K. Leni can get... confused a lot, you know?"

"Dude…' he said, looking at her with slanted eyes. "You just made her cry for something like that?"

Her face went from friendly to cold in a heartbeat.

"No, I made her cry because she's in trouble. That's the only way she listens to us. You need to pretty much yell at her to get her to do what you want."

"Wha… that's horrible!" he said, raising his voice ever so slightly at her. "She's your sister! You shouldn't yell at her like that!"

"Yeah, well, it works. It works and that's that. I'll see you around school."

She turned and walked our the gate, leaving the boy standing dumbstruck, his hands buried in his hoodie.

Great… he had the perfect chance to hit it off with someone and that Lori girl RUINED it. So much for making friends… not to mention she was being horrible to her sister… he was an only child at the moment, but even the THOUGHT of doing that to a sibling made him feel queasy inside.

"Dude… that was terrible…" he said, walking back to his seat. It was 30 seconds to go until halftime when he got back to his seat.

"HRY, SON! HOW WAS THE BATHROOM?!" his dad yelled, obviously caught up in the hype of the crowd.

"Uhh… it was good, I think…"

"THAT'S AWESOME! THIS GAME IS AMAZING, I.K! YOU HAVE TO- AWW. BULLSH*T, REF! CALL THAT!"

As his father yelled at the top of his lungs, I.K sat down and began to think. He thought during the halftime show, he thought during the rest of the game (which the Hockers won 34-14, to his dad's great disappointment,) and he thought on the drive home. Through all of it, he thought of the same, singular name each time.

"Leni…"


End file.
